Though you might not have heard much about them lately, the so-called Date Rape Drugs are still around. Make no mistake about that. Many years ago they were in the news all the time. A woman sitting in a bar or a kid at a rave would have something added to their drink and hours later they would wake up in a strange place with a strange person. That's the danger of these types of drugs. They make the victim very compliant, highly suggestible, and erase any memory for the events that occurred while under the influence of the drug.
A recent case involving Robert Koester underlines the fact that these drugs are still a problem. I don't believe it's been determined what drug he used but allegedly over the past 25 years he has drugged and assaulted many young models. Apparently, he's a photographer of sorts. I suspect that his most recent victims will have been given GHB because it's commonly available. Rohypnol, another possibility, is harder to come by these days but is still out there.
http://www.newser.com/story/270990/photographer-accused-of-drugging-molesting-underage-models.html https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/robert-koester-model-photographer-accused-assault-abuse-misconduct-sexual-minor-plea-guilty-561451771.htmlThis case echoes the famous Andrew Luster case. You might remember he was the heir to the Max Factor fortune and was accused of drugging and assaulting many young women. He ultimately was sentenced to 124 years in jail but failed to show up for his sentencing hearing-Gee, I wonder why?-and fled to Mexico. Dog the Bounty Hunter tracked him down and returned him to the US for incarceration.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_LusterThere have been numerous similar cases in the past. People like Joseph Rivera, the team of Michael Hagemann and Danny Bohannon, and many others.
http://articles.latimes.com/1997/jul/04/local/me-9736Here is an article I wrote on these drugs:
http://www.dplylemd.com/articles/date-rape-drugs.htmlI have blogged about this issue and some of these cases on previous occasions:
https://writersforensicsblog.wordpress.com/2013/08/13/joseph-rivera-the-new-andrew-luster/ https://writersforensicsblog.wordpress.com/2010/10/12/date-rape-drugs-stealthy-and-dangerous/In a recent podcast on Criminal Mischief: The Art and Science of Crime Fiction, I discussed how one fictional character can subdue and control another character by employing various means, including these types of drugs:
https://writersforensicsblog.wordpress.com/2018/10/02/criminal-mischief-episode-05-making-characters-compliant/
